00011 [Part 1] [The Petty Magician] ------------------------------------------------------------------------=
[The Petty Magician]
"Finally over."
Dorim, finished with afternoon classes, took advantage of the lull to grab a late lunch at the student cafeteria. Deliberately choosing a secluded corner seat, he hunched over his cafeteria meal to keep his face hidden as much as possible.
With midterms looming in just a few weeks, he couldn't afford to spend his time in leisure.
Here and there around him, others sat similarly hunched over, eating alone. Some fiddled with their smartphones to put on airs of not being lonely; among them, others incessantly drummed out Kakaotalk notification sounds, broadcasting that today was merely a day when schedules hadn't aligned. But they all shared one trait: maintaining their private distance and not staring at fellow solo diners. Perhaps it was an unspoken rule among them.
This seat was prime real estate.
Dorim was satisfied to have snagged a seat with a clear view of the giant TV. He could catch bits of the news to keep up with the world, and whenever he happened to look up, he'd see the TV screen rather than other people chattering away while eating.
"Huh?"
"Do~rim~ op~pa~?"
*Cough!*
Dorim had looked up to watch the TV, only to spot Eunjeong right in front of him and recoil in shock. The food in his mouth got lodged in his throat, and he desperately looked for water, but since he made it a rule to avoid drinking water during meals, he hadn't poured any from the water purifier.
"What was that for? You're going to choke. Here, water."
Eunjeong sighed as she handed him the water. Too frantic for manners, he gulped it down without a word of thanks.
"*Haa*… I thought I was going to die."
"Who told you to get so jumpy?"
"So what's up? Why does it feel like I always run into you when I'm eating cafeteria food?"
"…It's a coincidence."
It wasn't just once or twice. He'd even received blind date offers from her here.
Eunjeong twirled a strand of hair around her finger, avoiding his gaze. Then, without hesitation, she set her tray down across from him and sat. Whether her friend's schedule hadn't worked out or she'd come alone, they were in the same boat.
"I heard from Aram yesterday. She said it was a disaster?"
"…It was no joke."
At Eunjeong's words, Dorim recalled the blind date he'd had in 'Customize Yourself' the day before and summed it up in a word. Things had started off pleasantly enough, but after encountering a powerful monster and having the party formation crumble, it had ended with nothing but bruised feelings.
"I was worried because of that oppa, and sure enough, it played out exactly like that. I bet he won't ask me to set him up anymore."
"Why do you seem so pleased today?"
"Huh? No way~."
For some reason, Eunjeong wore a deeply satisfied smile. Seeing her expression—one that treated others' misfortune like her own happiness—Dorim thought she was a woman you'd be terrified to have as an enemy.
"Ah, right. So Aram feels bad. She said you helped her a few times in the game? She wanted to thank you properly, so I gave her your number."
"What? Why would you just…?"
"Just so you know, you're not Aram's type. She only wants to say thanks. Don't get the wrong idea."
Hearing it stated so bluntly right in front of him made it awkward to respond. Looking at her sullen expression, he just waved his hand as if to say "do whatever you want" and didn't interfere further.
"Aram said you're actually good at the game? I guess it wasn't just talk. Teach me sometime too."
"…If I have time."
He'd quit the game yesterday. He had no intention of touching C.M. ever again. Thinking this, he was about to finish the rest of his meal when he heard something from the giant TV and looked up.
"Huh?"
["We have word that user interest is exploding in Customize Yourself, the leader in the domestic Virtual RPG industry. It's due to a quest delivered to users yesterday evening. With the return of this quest after two years, game usage has doubled in a single day. Now then, from here on out…"]
The news reported on the quest to acquire a guild hall on Mir Island bearing the trait of permanent indestructibility. Players were answering interviews, each visibly brimming with excitement. The developers had also appeared at a press conference, announcing that fueled by player expectations, they had prepared a quest even greater than the one two years ago.
Impressive.
Dorim stood up with his tray, offering his assessment. It was beyond expectations. He'd figured players might be in a frenzy over the quest, but he hadn't expected it to make the news.
"Amazing. That was the game you played, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
It seemed Karon's name—the one who had brought this quest to light—hadn't surfaced yet. Probably wouldn't take long, though. Once his name came out, the Polaris guild members' names would be mentioned too. And when that happened, the world's attention would vanish as if it had never been there.
"I should get to class now."
"Ah, oppa! There's still an hour left! Let's get coffee and relax before you go."
"Midterms start the week after next."
"We can start preparing next week."
"I'm getting a scholarship."
Dorim left Eunjeong behind and went up the stairs. With a full hour before class started, he planned to find an empty lecture hall to kill time studying for the exam.
[Kakaotalk!]
"Huh?"
He'd been about to enter an empty lecture hall when the sound from his pocket stopped him.
"What now?"
He pulled his smartphone from his pocket and checked his messages. The department group chat showed a 300+ notification. Being the start of the semester, messages had surfaced again with talk of freshmen. No doubt it would sink back down once midterms were over.
And below that was a Kakaotalk from an unregistered user.
[Hello, Karon oppa.]
[This is Aram, who met you yesterday.]
[I wanted to thank you for helping me in the game yesterday.]
"A thank-you, of all things…"
Having received inexplicable hatred from Nearitic, Karon had been relegated to the very back of the party, so he often found himself alongside Aram, who was positioned behind the archer. They'd chatted during the game that day. Mostly, she'd one-sidedly tried to include him, who was awkwardly out of place in the atmosphere. Since they'd been positioned closest to each other in the party, he'd helped protect her from monster attacks. Of course, in the end, he'd let his guard down and gotten her killed, but still.
[You don't need to thank me for that…. It was fun yesterday. See you around.]
"This should end the conversation."
He'd sent a message clearly meant to wrap things up. Sitting in the classroom, he took out his textbook to prepare for his Principles of Economics exam.
[Kakaotalk!]
"Ugh…"
[I had fun because of you too, oppa!]
[That's why I really want to thank you properly.]
[Oppa, we go to the same school too, so buy me a meal!]
"No money…"
At the start of the semester, his wallet had been emptied treating freshmen who begged for meals. That's why he couldn't even go to his usual restaurants and had been subsisting on cafeteria food.
But he couldn't very well say no. As a senior, it was only right to treat a junior who wanted to get closer over a meal.
[Fine. Send me your schedule.]
[Yes! ^^]
[Um... wait a sec.]
Asking to see her schedule was a privilege of being the senior. Without showing his own schedule to the junior, he naturally retained the right to pick the day for the meal. And if it was a junior he truly didn't like, he could use the excuse of being busy to postpone indefinitely.
"*Sigh*… How do I fit this in?"
There were no matching times. He could have used that as an excuse to get out of the meal, but he felt too sorry to do so. Inevitably, one of them would have to come to school during a free period. In situations like this, it had to be the senior.
[Then let's meet for lunch next Wednesday.]
[Yes, oppa!]
"Is that the end of it?"
Just as he'd resolved to start studying.
[Kakaotalk!]
[Oppa, but can we play the game together again?]
[You were so good yesterday, oppa. Please help me.]
"*Sigh*…"
He'd been about to type that he'd quit the game, but he couldn't bring himself to press send. Did he still have regrets?
He tried to write something but couldn't type a thing. She'd notice the read receipt had disappeared. If he didn't reply now, it would become a read-and-ignore, the dreaded "left on read," leaving things awkward between them.
"How do I refuse?"
Barely managing to send a refusal,
[Come on, don't be like that! Let's play together!]
[I want to play with you!]
With her whining like a little sister like this, it was hard to say no. She was Eunjeong's friend, and it wasn't as though he could blow up at someone he'd just met.
"*Sigh*…"
[Fine, let's do it.]
[Yay!]
[But I'm making a new character.]
[Huh? Really?]
"What am I even doing…"
He really was a hopeless fellow.
Dorim thought to himself.